Did “bad feelings” influence a Republican judge?

Recent redistricting decisions have highlighted once again the phenomenal growth of the Harris County Hispanic community as I note in my column that appears in Wednesday’s print edition. Who would have thought, back when we all watched John Travolta in Urban Cowboy, that the town that inspired the movie (Pasadena) would ever be represented by an Hispanic legislator? That’s where we are headed, if a new court-drawn map survives an appeal by the state.

But some political observers say the San Antonio court could have gone farther in protecting the ability of Hispanic voters to influence elections, particularly those for the U.S. Congress. Democratic Rep. Carol Alvarado, called it “disappointing that Houston did not receive a new Latino-opportunity district.”

It’s not that the court didn’t see the validity of arguments pressed by civil rights groups. The judges drew a new district based in Bexar County which will be dominated by Hispanics, as well as a new minority “coalition district” in Tarrant County. They also restored Hispanic influence in districts in South Texas and San Antonio to West Texas.

It could be that Harris County wasn’t chosen for a new minority district because the last round of redistricting, spearheaded by former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, created a minority-dominated district now held by U.S. Rep. Al Green.

Regardless, Alvarado said she was gratified that the San Antonio court found the “maps approved by the Republican majority of the Texas Legislature were clearly regressive and did not provide adequate opportunity for minorities to elect candidates of their choice.

Not all were so pleased. Republican Rep. Ken Legler, whose Pasadena-based Texas House district will now be dominated by Hispanics, accused the San Antonio panel of “activism” which tilted in favor of Democrats. The Texas House map was approved by two federal judges – Orlando Garcia and Xavier Rodriguez – while a third judge, Jerry Smith, dissented.

While Garcia is related by marriage to Democratic Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, Rodriguez has solid Republican credentials. He was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court by Gov. Rick Perry and to the federal bench by former President George W. Bush.

Legler speculated that Rodriguez, who was defeated in the 2002 Republican primary for re-election to the Texas Supreme Court by a little-known attorney named Steven Smith, harbors ill-will against Republicans, since many political observers chalked up his defeat as proof of Republican bias against Hispanic surnames. “My point of view?” said Legler. “I think he has some bad feelings.”

Patricia Kilday Hart’s story about the Pasadena house districts is rife with errors. One wonders how Texas Monthly let someone so talented get away.

Ken Legler currently represents most of Pasadena. An area in the northern part is represented by Ana Hernandez Luna. While she is not a Republican, neither is she an Anglo. The lightly populated panhandle, which includes UH-Clear Lake and Armand Bayou, is represented by John Davis.

The legislature retained all the current boundaries, so that Legler would continue to represent 68% (majority Hispanic), Hernandez Luna 27%, and Davis 5%. Back when Bud (John Travolta) and Sissy (Patricia Kilday Hart Debra Winger) were hanging out at Gilley’s, Pasadena was represented by a Democrat. It wasn’t until 1992 that a Republican, Robert Talton was elected.

One might two-step to the conclusion that it is the changing demographics of Pasadena that is doing Ken Legler in. This is simply not true. He was re-elected in 2010 with 61% of the vote over trial lawyer Rick Molina, a Democrat with a Spanish surname.

What the judges did was radically redraw District 144 so that now about half the district is in Houston, extending west almost to Hobby Airport. Kilday Hart appears to be under the impression that this area is in Pasadena. The rest of Pasadena was divvied up between two districts represented by Republicans who live in Clear Lake and Baytown.

Ana Hernandez Luna, who still is not Anglo, nor Republican, continues to represent a part of the city. Because of the changes to her district, Hernandez Luna is vulnerable to a primary challenge, perhaps from someone living in the Channelview area north of the ship channel.

If a Democrat defeats Legler, he or she may well be be from Houston. Legler’s opponent in 2010, Rick Molina, is from extreme southeastern Pasadena and doesn’t live in District 144 under the court plan.

So a possible outcome of the line drawing is that Pasadena may soon be represented by 4 house members, none who live in Pasadena or even particularly close to Pasadena. Despite having a population that is 90% of that needed for its own house district, representation of the city by someone from Pasadena, may soon be a fading memory, like that of Gilley’s.

Steven Smith was the attorney in Hopwood v Texas. He was not exactly an unknown. Patricia Kilday Hart’s good buddy, Rick Perry, had appointed Rodriguez, who was not running for re-election, but was running for the remainder of his term at the next election after his appointment.

Kilday Hart apparently thinks that if Perry appoints someone and arranges for them to have lots of campaign funding, they should automatically be elected.

When Smith ran for re-election in 2004, he had diverse support, including Kay Bailey Hutchison, Bill Clements, and Ron Paul, but was opposed by Rick Perry and was defeated.